Around 20 trains an hour passing back garden - everyone saying "you'd get used to it" - would you?

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Been to see a house where I knew there was a trainline, the garden is less than 30 foot long and about 5 foot from the back fence is line A, then another (say) 15 foot away is line B. I suspect line B is the Gatwick express but don't hold me to it. Anyway, I knew there'd be some noise but thought let's have a look. In the 15 minutes we were there at least 6 trains went through, sometimes 2 trains at once - one on each line. The "express" train line was slightly higher than the other and that was quite loud. I've checked the timetable and I think the 20 trains is a good guesstimate, and it would be going around 19 hours a day.

House had lots of other thing we really wanted, but honestly, could you get used to it? We've been looking for ages so I am feeling a bit suspect at friends saying nah that'll be fine etc. (edited to say I suspect this as everyone is fed up of hearing me going on about the house search!) Also I wonder if the noise would affect the dog, again there's no way of knowing. Any thoughts?

One set of my grandparents lived next to a train line. We could stand in their garden and wave and some passengers would wave back. It was up an embankment though.....the sound didn't bother them or us when we stayed over.

I lived in a place like that you get used to it very quickly (rather like living near an airport) - after a while it’s only disconcerting when the trains aren’t running (maintenance or strike) as you are so used to it…

Hell no. You’d end up like this guy…

Yep, backed onto a tube and mainline into London growing up. Never noticed them. Did used to dream about trains a bit though.

I lived in West Drayton (in the far west of West London, around 16-18 miles from the centre of London.) for several years many years ago, and had the trains at the bottom of the 55-60 ft long garden, and I can honestly say it really never bothered me. The sounds of the planes going to and from Heathrow were louder! 😬

There were about 8-10 trains an hour at the time (4 or 5 each way obvs.)

20 an hour sounds a lot. That's one every 3 minutes. I don't think it would bother me massively, but 20 is quite a lot, and 30 feet isn't a very long garden. Is it elevated (the train track,) or lower (than the garden?) That would make a difference. It was about 8-10 feet lower than the garden in the house I lived in, in West Drayton. If the train track was higher than the garden, I wouldn't want to live in that house. Unless the garden was 250 to 300 feet long.

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My first house, 30 odd years ago backed onto the West Coast mainline but I did have a 180 foot long garden and the line was cut into an embankment where it passed my house. Even so, I didn’t like being up at the top of the garden when the intercities went past. Or goods trains.
But yes, inside the house or down on the patio I was barely aware. I remember thinking I would rather trains than a motorway.

Personally peace is the one non-negotional for me.

Ive lived near a railway line and got used to it really quickly, even though on the 1st night there, I thought the trains were running down the street in front!
Id rather have a railway line than the massive dairy we lived close to in the house before.

I was going to say that too 😁

I think I’d want to know the train schedule… are there lots of early morning trains as that would bother me in summer with the window open.

I think train noise is much easier to live with than traffic noise as the traffic noise is more unpredictable and includes sirens and hooting etc.

There was a tv programme that had a woman with a train line at the bottom of the garden. It drove her to a near mental breakdown, destroyed her sleep, mental health and quality of life. She couldn’t sell the house cos of the damage it caused- vibrations, noise, cracks.
Some people must be ok with it but that stuck with me and I definitely wouldn’t.

You’ll notice them in varying degrees but it depends if that bothers you. We lived next to the station in a busy city and remember the bedroom shaking with a freight train at some ungodly hour but it never upset me

I used to live next to a railway station. My parents stayed over one night and kept asking what that noise was. I didn’t have a clue what they were talking about. It turned out that it was the beeping of the train doors closing. I had gotten so used to it that I didn’t notice the noise.

I work on the railway and my office is right next to the East Coast Main Line at the station. I never "hear" the trains any more. My ears only prickle if I hear the horn of the train as it passes through and that's only because my heckles are up in case someone is somewhere they shouldn't be

The noise of trains passing genuinely wouldn't bother me if I lived next to it. But maintenance during the night would which is inevitable if there's a defect being fixed or a tamper going through. That would be my only caution to you

Yes. I've lived right next to trainlines twice and didn't even register them.

I was brought up in a house where the trains ran at the bottom of the embankment, day and night. I never noticed or was disturbed by them. Ive also lived in a flat where a new length of road was opened. So heavy traffic including lorries thundered by day and night. The vibration could be felt in the building. That too I quickly got used to. Its amazing how you can zone things out. Nowadays there are ear plugs and white noise.

I live next to a train line (only been here two months) but it's not particularly busy and it's a slower line. Passenger trains are short (3 carriages or so) and barely noticeable. Freight trains are very long and noisy....not a problem during the day and I don't particularly mind at night but bear in mind that they sound far louder at night and you can sometimes feel the vibrations for ten seconds or so before they arrive. Still preferable to living on a main road. I wouldn't fancy living next to a main line though.

When my dd2 moved to uni away from the railway line, she searched for ages for a recording that sounded like it because she found it comforting.

I like watching the trains and wondering Where everyone is going and what they are doing. Maybe I’m a bit odd too!

There’s engineering works on the line this weekend. It’s strangely silent.

This

i stayed over at a friends house next to very busy tracks

the day trains not an issue. I was on the opposite side of the tracks but was woken up twice with the house rattling and the noise from the freight trains

I lived beside a very busy main road for 5 year, I did not get use it i got use to living there but not the noise.

I finally moved and been in my current home almost 5 year and love the peace.

Very quickly got used to it, it drowned out the planes. Visiting family used to complain though so it may out off some visitors which can be a plus or a minus.

I have lived within a few hundred yards of one railway line with around 10 trains and hour, can hear it but not see it but it's really no bother; and at another time right next to a line with four trains an hour, sounding their horns for a level crossing, but you really do just filter them out.

Never bothered me nor did planes going into Heathrow in fact thread made me quite nostalgic for those houses. Give me that over people running car engines in the road outside any day

My nana lived next to a busy station (Norwood Junction) but up from station. She got used to the noise. My best friend lived at the bottom of a train line with the tunnel not too far away. Again never bothered her. You get used to the noise, it’s like white noise.

I wouldn’t consider it. I’d buy a smaller house without a blight. You never know what services are going to be added.